Page 46 of Takedown in Savannah
“She’s not mad. I’m the one who’s mad,” Dernice said. “She’s blown this whole thing out of proportion, all because she got greedy, took a job she shouldn’t have and is freaked out about getting on the cop’s radar.”
“I’m intrigued by this job. It must pay good money for her to put her company and reputation on the line.”
Before Dernice could reply, Carlita’s phone rang. “Hey, Elvira.” She tapped the speaker button and pressed her finger to her lips. “The reason for my call is Dernice mentioned you have a list of area security companies and their customers.”
“Yeah. I like to send out flyers, undercutting the competition in the hopes of taking their business. It works pretty well as a marketing tactic,” Elvira said. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I was wondering if you could send me a copy.” Carlita told her about meeting Reese, discovering Uptown Uniform Services had been broken into and a bunch of uniforms were stolen. “From what we’ve been able to piece together, we believe the San Maris Gang broke in there, stole the uniforms and have been using them to commit their crimes.”
“Ah. By pretending to be security employees. They slide under the radar, including the cops’ radar.”
“Correct.”
“I’m sure the police have already figured out their angle by now.”
“Based on what the owner said, they have.” Carlita pointed out that if the information was accurate, the investigating team suspected Luigi of being part of the gang.
“I already told them he is…was an employee, but for whatever reason, they keep zeroing in on him.”
“What do you mean was?” Dernice interrupted.
“Is my sister listening in?” Elvira muttered something unpleasant under her breath. “I should’ve known.”
“Surely, you realize we want to do everything we can to clear Luigi’s name.” Carlita waited for Elvira to respond. “Elvira?”
No answer.
“She hung up on me.”
“Sorry, Carlita. I lost my cool. Elvira promised to give me a couple of days. I should’ve known she would change her mind.”
“It’s okay. We confirmed our suspicions.” Carlita squinted her eyes and studied the list. “Based on this, a few of these places haven’t been hit yet.”
“And might not be if they think the cops are closing in on them.” Dernice stifled a yawn. “I’m gonna head back to Luigi’s. Thanks again for your help.”
“You’re welcome.” Carlita promised to let her know if she and Pete found anything of interest while going over The Flying Gunner’s surveillance recordings.
After Dernice left, she made a mental checklist of what they had discovered. Clearly, the gang was a sophisticated, savvy operation, working covertly as security guards, setting up an escape route that was nearly fail-safe.
Something told Carlita this wouldn’t be an easy case to crack. Maybe they would get a lucky break and the gang would slip up. If not, they had their work cut out for them.
Chapter 20
Pete left the house early the next morning, only to come storming back in a few minutes later. “That woman is testing my patience.”
Carlita didn’t need to ask who he was talking about. “What did Elvira do this time?”
“She’s messing around in the tunnels again.” He snatched his truck keys off the hook. “I’m heading over there to warn her that if she doesn’t knock it off, I’m calling the police.”
Noting the thunderous expression on her husband’s face, having had enough of Elvira’s shenanigans, she hurriedly dumped the rest of her coffee and caught up with him at the door. “I’ll go with you.”
“In the event you have to bail me out of jail?”
“I hope not. I don’t blame you for your frustration. She’s been warned, and yet…she’s sneaking into our yard. Clearly, Elvira has no plans of giving up on finding treasure.” Carlita hustled to keep up with her husband’s fast pace down the steps and to his truck. “Do you want me to call ahead to make sure she’s home?”
“I prefer the element of surprise.” During the drive, Pete ranted about Elvira and her antics. “I’m serious. If I catch her again, I’m calling the police and having her hauled off to jail for vandalism and trespassing.”
“A few hours behind bars might fix her little red wagon.” Carlita thought about other incidents when Elvira had been locked up and behind bars. It hadn’t seemed to slow her down, not in the least. “Or maybe not.”
